Mass Effect 4: Among the Rubble
by ToNyEmBlEy
Summary: Shepard has destroyed the Reapers and everyone thinks he's dead, but within pile of rubble in London, a living legend breathes again. With the Reapers gone, there is a new threat rising, one that has always been silenced until Shepard's actions unleashed the fury. M/Shep, Tali Romance. I'm going to try to make this and action/romance thing.
1. Among the Rubble

_AN: This story follows the "perfect ending" where Shepard destroys the Reapers and lives at the end. The only difference is that in this story, the Relays are still intact and the Geth that weren't active at the time weren't destroyed, but most of them were wiped out. Okay? No? Well too bad, it's my story._

Tears were streaking down her face beneath her mask. Every moment was like a waking nightmare knowing that she would never see him again, never hear his voice or feel his fingers caress her or pull her into his arms. All of, the smiles, the laughs, the endless flirting, were gone, gone within a haze of red.

The Normandy was still grounded on the jungle planet that Joker hadn't been able to identify since EDI had suddenly gone offline. Not that he had really cared to try. No one tried. All anyone could do was mourn the loss of their commander, their leader, their friend. Some had accepted it more than others, like Garrus, Ashley, Jack, and Karin, but most were devastated.

Traynor didn't know how to react. Over the course of a few months she had seen this amazing man save thousands of lives, defeat countless enemies, unite the galaxy, and gain the trust of her and everyone around him. She couldn't believe that after all he had done, that saving the galaxy just one more time would be the end of him.

Everyone felt exactly the same, but Tali felt it hundred-fold. She felt selfish about wanting him back, but what else could she want? The sound of her mask coming undone broke the silence in Shepard's room as she wiped away her tears. That same moment, Garrus walked in and silently sat at the edge of the bed, not saying the word, knowing that he didn't have to, even if he did, what could he say? So he sat, silently comforting her.

Nearly an hour past before he uttered the words "He's gone." Then he laughed. "That crazy son of a bitch is actually gone?" His words may have acknowledged it, but his mind failed to grasp the concept of the statement. "Who would have thought, huh? He was supposed to be invincible. Tali I don't know what to say to you, but I just want you to try not fall too far, okay?"

The request hung in the air unanswered. "Alright, I'll leave you be, just know we're all hurting here, okay?" Her head nodded slightly which was enough to convince him to leave, because all she wanted was to be alone at the moment, but at he same time she didn't. Conflicted, confused, and utterly alone.

* * *

His head was pounding as he lay there somewhere in the rubble of London. His lungs were scorching, begging for air, but he just couldn't provide it. Every twitch of any muscle was agony. Half of his armor was melted into his skin and so many bones were broken, but with every second he didn't pull in air, the more they didn't seem to matter.

The pain started to end as a crushing darkness started to break his resolve, though he didn't mind. It was small reprieve, a small absence of torture. When it was all about to vanish it all came flooding back with a loud gasp. The fire spread through his lungs, the cold air blistering his throat; just more pain, what's a little more pain?

It took every ounce of strength, and more, just to move his hand up to his helmet and activate the comm. relay in his helmet. His voice was barley a whisper; coarse, shallow, and gravely. "Hello?" He had to struggle to form the words and find the air to speak. "Is- is there anyone in the area, anyone?" Through the large array of static came a reply. "This is Major Coats, what's your name soldier? Do you need medical assistance?"

The relief that washed over Shepard was enough to numb the intense pain that throbbed in every end of his body. His shallow breathing gave way to his reply "This- agh!" Violent coughing racked his already shattered ribcage as he spewed up blood that had settled in his stomach. "Agh! This is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. Ugh, I'm in need of immediate medical treatment." "Jesus, Commander is that you?"

Coats couldn't believe what he was hearing, that Commander Shepard was alive, after an explosion that could have taken down a small planet. "Yeah, it's me Coats, how about that medical evac, huh?" "Oh, right, yes sir!" Coats screamed his orders at any and all medical teams to scour any rubble near the beams previous position for Shepard. The crews eventually found him, but it didn't look to good for him. The medical crews all agreed that if it weren't for the cybernetic implants scattered throughout his body that he would have surely passed by then.

First they had to remove the armor that had grafted itself into his skin on the right side of his body. Then they had to set a lot of his bones with no anesthetics, the medical staff had tried to find some medi-gel or even alcohol, but nothing came up, so Shepard gritted his teeth through the pain and listened to the bones grind inside of him as he tried to keep from thrashing and screaming form the excruciating pain. After the bones had set they tried to fix his eyes. His right eye socket was shattered and the retina was detached while his right eye had massive corneal scarring. These problems are easily fixed with proper medical equipment, equipment they were sadly lacking in the battlefield.

So Shepard would have to wait until they were off-world to fix his vision, but they were able to find an old bottle of brandy in a crumbling English manor, needless to say his pain was numbed for a good few hours.

The days went on for the crew of the Normandy and for Shepard. He, not knowing which of his squad members might have been lost in the battle and them not knowing that their commander, their friend, was alive.

When Shepard was strong enough to get back onto his feet, he started asking about his crew, all the information he could get was that signal had gone cold after the shockwave had went off. He could only hope that his friends, and the woman he had promised to a build a house for, were safe, though he knew that the worst could be very possible.

* * *

Joker roared in triumph as the Normandy fired back to life, lifting off the terrain and the drive core lighting up and blazing fiercely. He went down to engineering deck and celebrated with Adams, Donnelly, and Daniels. Tali helped extremely, but she locked herself in Shepard's cabin.

As the ship took off from the planets orbit, Joker was trying to raise anyone he could on the comm. He was scanning every frequency he could, he mostly got static, but after a few hours of drifting they finally got a response to an Asari colony somewhere off the edge of Terminus system. They gave the news that the Reapers had been defeated, that they all just dropped dead after the shockwave, that the galaxy had won the war.

The crew already knew, but it did do some good to find the voices of happy people over the comm. relay as they got nearer and nearer to civilizations and other colonies. The uplifting aura in the galaxy was infectious to the crew of the Normandy, to all except the friends of Shepard of course, especially Tali.

James had gone to the lounge and downed multiple bottles of various liquors, trying to drown and memory that came to mind if Shepard and it worked, for all of five minuets. Ashley and Garrus had already been through the death of Shepard once, but this time it felt more absolute. So they confined themselves to the starboard observation deck, reminiscing about all their misadventures with the "_Great Commander Shepard_".

The Normandy was full of celebratory laughter and affection, and within the midst of at all, there was grief, but also pride. Grief: for their friends who had fought and died, but mostly for the greatest man and soldier to ever take the battlefield. Pride: for the fact that that soldier gave his life to save a galaxy that had hated him, judged him, and threw him to the dogs, but in the end still needed him to protect them. He owed them nothing, and gave them everything, for that, they were to proud to have known, trust, and serve Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy.

But how could they know that in London, there was a legend _Amongst the Rubble _and trying to find his way back to his ship, his home, his crew, his family, and his love.


	2. Being Haled

Three days had passed since they pulled Shepard out of the rubble and he was recovering well. They had been able to fix his burns and remove the armor that had grafted itself into his skin, the eyes were a whole other set of problems, but they hoped that within a few days that could get him to a proper medical center. Meanwhile he had faired rather well, remarkably so.

"Is there any way that I could try to contact the Normandy, any at all?" He pleaded to the comm. specialist that he had asked to see. "No Commander, I'm sorry. Not until they repair he communications tower that Harbinger destroyed in the final push. We could try burst transmissions, but the chances of the signal breaching the debris field, let alone reaching the Normandy, are astronomically low." "Try it anyway, that's an order."

Shepard hated pulling rank on the officer, but he was desperate. "I'm guessing there's a girl huh?" The warm smile that she shot his way went unseen due to the bandages around his eyes, but he returned one all the same. "Yeah… there is." He let his head fall back onto the gurney's padded headrest and traced his fingers over the bandages that covered his eyes. "There's a girl." He said with a smile.

As he drifted into dreams and fantasies, the world melted away, leaving him with _her_ again, that wonderful woman that he missed so much. Though he could see her face in them, they didn't do her justice.

They weren't able to capture the shy smile or the intricate markings that snaked around her neck and up behind her ears, they couldn't capture her brilliant eyes, eyes that glowed like stars in the void of space.

He only hoped that he could see them again and that he wouldn't have to rely on memory for the rest of his life.

* * *

Tali had finally left _his_ cabin. She felt a little better but still held onto the grief, though it only came in waves now. Garrus had been an immense help, coaxing her out and getting her to relax a little, relax isn't really the right word to him though. He thought mourn would better suit the situation. He knew that the days she had spent alone wasn't mourning; it was shock: Shock that after she had just gotten him, he was taken away, shock that after all he had promised he was gone, that after all they had shared, it wasn't enough.

He knew that she wished she had more time with him, and she deserved it. She had waited so long for him, only to have the newfound love ripped away. Though Garrus loved Shepard as a brother, he felt that Tali deserved more time than any others, for she had lost the most on Shepard.

As Tali was walking with Garrus into the lounge, she finally started to speak to him. It wasn't much, but it was more than he had expected. "Thank you Garrus, I know I've been…distant. And I have no right to. Were all in pain, I feel so selfish." As they took their seats at the bar all Garrus could do was laugh. "You think you're being selfish Tali? Now _that_ is priceless. Look, no one here is questioning you, judging you, or thinking bad of you. Have **seen** Traynor?! She's a train-wreck! And imagine how Kelly would be! Honestly Tali, that fact that you're talking to me is a sure sign that you're more mentally sound than any of us."

Her friend's reassurance made her smile, though Garrus couldn't tell behind her mask. "I hope you're smiling now, because if you're not, I'm just gonna get drunk ahead of schedule." And then he heard it, what he'd been hoping for; Laughter. It was weak and strained, but it was there. "I'm smiling, don't worry." "I won't, but seriously Tali, you're one of the only people talking to me right now, everyone just looks at me with pity and envy, some just expect me to burst out in tears. So thank you."

"No, thank you Garrus, you're a good friend and I need one right now." "We all do right now Tali… So! Let's get drink. I'll the brandy and cups." Garrus looked up at her with a smile before continuing. "And you can grab the `emergency induction ports`". He couldn't see, but under the mask she was mortified. "Keelah! He told you about that?!" She shrieked through Garrus' restrained chuckles. "Me and me only, so don't worry; your drunken rant remains under wraps."

As the two friends spoke and drank, Joker was receiving a very broken message from earth. Normally he'd ask EDI to patch it up, but with her MIA, he had to do it himself, though it was nowhere near as good as what EDI could do. He was able to piece enough of it together to understand the gist of the message. The crew perked up their ears as they heard his voice over the PA system. "Attention, we're being haled through Alliance channels back on Earth, prepare for the big slingshot to… you know, uh, sling us."

As the message ended, Tali couldn't help but ignite that flicker of hope inside her, the hope that had died a week ago when a red shockwave rode the explosion of the citadel.

* * *

"Do you think they got it?" Shepard asked without direction. Without his vision (for the moment) he couldn't look people in the eyes when he spoke to them and that made him feel uncomfortable, but he tried his best. "We won't be able to know unless they show up in orbit. Sir I will personally alert you if any ships are spotted in the vicinity." The officer's kind voice was a comfort that Shepard had grown accustomed to over the week he had been in the gurney.

"Thank you. Lieutenant Jackson. Carry on." She gave a nod and she left with a salute that he couldn't see. After a few minuets he heard that gruff voice that had lead him through this horrible conflict. "Commander Shepard, I couldn't believe it when Coats told me that you had been found in London. I'll hand it to you; you're one tough son of a bitch." "Admiral Hackett? Is that you?" Hackett pulled up a chair and sat next o the gurney that Shepard lay on.

He took of his hat and laid it on the small medical tray next to him, his sigh of relief washed out of him, taking his sorrow, guilt, and stress with it, only to force it back in when he inhaled. "It's good to see you son, it really is. And I think that you've earned a pay raise." The chuckles they shared racked Shepard's ribs, but he didn't care, all he knew was that he had at least one friend to survive the Chaos.

"It's good _hear_ you Admiral. So what's the damage?" Another sigh left the older man's lungs. "Well, we lost Anderson, you and Coats are all that's left of Hammer, but the fleets fared pretty well. The Quarians had the least losses of all of us, god you giv'em a planet and they turn into war heroes. The Krogan are pulling out of Palaven while the Turians clean up. The Geth, they weren't so lucky, after the shockwave their ships went dark and the fighter pilots on Earth crashed and burned, but we hear that some are still alive on Ranoch so were still trying to figure out what happened, maybe a Reaper trap. Thessia has started to rebuild and train more commandoes to strengthen the army. The Salarians are still angry about he business with the Krogan, so truth be told Shepard, we're actually faring off better than before the Reapers came."

"You united us all Shepard, in our time of crisis we came together and pulled through. That alone is allowing a new kind of prosperity to capture us. Honestly, many of us on Earth are thinking of having a Commander Shepard day. What do you think?" Shepard just smiled and shook his head. "You know it wasn't just me, we all did this, together. And I just want this madness to end. Do you think this new alliance can last?" Hackett's hand rand through his hair and rested on his brow. "I don't know, but I'm damn sure gonna try to make it."

The two friends sat and talked for hours, trading details of the final push and what happened moments before the shockwave. Shepard tried the best he could to explain what had happened on the Citadel while Hackett listened with rapt attention. The conversation could have lasted the entire evening, if weren't for Lieutenant Jackson bursting through the doors.

"Commander! An Alliance ship has entered the Sol system and her register matches that of the Normandy and she's trying to contact us!" The beating of Shepard's partly cybernetic heart raced as the thought of seeing his friends again, but also at the though of the friends he might not see.

* * *

Earth, Tali could see the Green and blue planet clearly from behind Joker's seat. "Tali, you're hovering. You know I hate that." Tali jumped at the sudden vocal intrusion. "Oh! Sorry, I'm- I- just-" Joker interrupted her before she could sputter out an apology. "Tali _please_ stop saying, seriously, you don't have to be sorry, just quit stalking me and we'll be cool."

"Jeff, I was under the assumption that you enjoyed being stalked. I am confused." "Yeah, but that's only by you EDI." Joker smiled at her, she would never be able to comprehend how happy it made him that she had come back online, he had thought she was gone.

"EDI, do you know why they aren't replying to our communications?" Tali asked shakily. "Do you think they received them? Could something be blocking the feed?" "The array shows that they have received all requests for a briefing on the situation, I believe that they may not have any way to send a reply to us. Even the hale we received was a broken transmission passed long through multiple servers and broadcasting frequencies." EDI replied without missing a beat.

Tali's fingers were growing numb with how many times she had wrung her hands together in anticipation, she wanted to believe that there was a chance, no matter how small, that _he_ would be there, but she knew that if he wasn't, then she might not be able to take it anymore. She couldn't bear the though of living without him. She wouldn't.

* * *

"Admiral, is there any way we can reach them? There has to be some way other than burst." The Admiral thumbed his chin as he tried to think of any possibilities, there was one that might work, but he knew that it would be a long-shot at best. "Well the building that was housing the quantum entanglement platform collapsed, but we did manage to pull it out of the debris. Our engineers could try to repair it, don't expect any prominent results though." Shepard just nodded before the Admiral had even finished his words. "Do it." Hackett stood and saluted his friend. "Will do, Commander. At ease."

* * *

After a few hours had passed on the Normandy, a console began to flash in the War Room and a Message flashed onto Traynor's omni-tool. She looked toward her wrist as the holographic interface sprang to life. "Communications request- From: Admiral Hackett." There was to specifics as to whom the Admiral wanted to speak to, so she rushed to the platform as fast as she could.

As she screeched to a halt in front of her was the console she had familiarized her with before Shepard had been reinstated to the Normandy. Her adept hands navigated through the controls and not a minuet later an image began to form in front of her.

Every painstaking detail rose with and unbelievable slowness. The damage to the ship due to impact was minimal, though it did have its effects. Traynor didn't know if she was visible on their end yet, so she stood quite and confused as she made out what looked like the wheels of a wheelchair, and a medical gown. Worry began to swirl in her mind. ~_Oh no, is the Admiral ok? ~ _She thought with apparent fear.

But as the image went higher and got more refined, she could tell that it wasn't Hackett. The hands that rested on the arms of the chair were not wrinkled and hardened by decades of war and battle. The shoulders were off too, they were far too wide to be Hackett, but the difference that stood out the most was the red, black, white, and silver dog tags that were hung low on his chest. Dog tags that prominently said "N7" and the imprint boldly said "Commander" with the rank's symbol pressed into the steel.

Her breathing stopped as a smile spread wide across her dark lips and the face of her caller appeared before her with the familiar warm smile. "Shepard!"


	3. Reunion

Traynor's eyes were brimming with tears of joy. She could hardly contain her emotions. As her deep brown, chocolate orbs scanned over her CO she could see that though he was alive, but he didn't come out unscathed. The bandages around his eyes were wound tight and she could see red blotches all around them, his left arm was nearly encased in anti-biotic flesh graphs while his other still had massive thermal scaring across it. He looked like he'd been thrown in front of a flaming asteroid that crashed into Earth on top of him, yet he was still sitting there smiling at her.

"Shepard." She whispered, unable to speak. "Traynor? Is that you?" His voice struck her like a Turian dreadnaught: hard, fast and unexpected. "Yes…yes it's me. How did you- how is that possible? We watched the Citadel go supernova! Shepard…you're ALIVE!" Traynor exploded with an impossibly wide smile. "So I noticed. So…any memorials I need to know about?"

The joy that had been on his lips vanished and was replaced by a hardened mask. "Did we lose anyone?" The proud soldier asked with a heavy tone, expecting a list of names to be rattled off. "No! We're all here! Joker barely got us out of range of the shockwave, but we made it!" A long and heavy breath left Shepard's lungs, a breath that had been suffocating him for hours.

He didn't say anything; neither did Traynor, what could he really say that couldn't already be seen? How do you describe the feeling of waiting for a casualties list and hoping to god that the person you love isn't on it. So they stood for a moment, appreciating the reunion before his voice broke the silence. "Specialist, I need to ask you a favor." He knew he didn't have to ask, but he did and she agreed just the same.

"Yes commander?" The unofficial yeoman piped eagerly. "I need you **not** to tell the crew it was me over the Comm. link. Say it was Admiral Hackett and that the entire ground crew is to meet with him at the remainder of Hammer Base. Clear?" His steady tone contradicted his wild thoughts that were tearing about his mind. He couldn't believe that it had turned out so well, that his family was alive, that_ she _was alive. He would see _her_ again, feel her arms around his shoulders, her lips on his, and hear her accented voice caress him into peaceful slumber.

"Commander? Commander?" Traynor's voice called through his haze of thought. "Oh, sorry Specialist, just thinking about a lot of things." He said with his mind still lost in his imagination. "Things or Tali?" Traynor teased with a grin. At the sound of her name, Shepard snapped back to reality. "Maybe, but I've gotta go, make sure you tell them, okay? I'll be waiting." He almost disconnected before Samantha could stop him, but thankfully he couldn't see the off switch on the holo-panel.

"Wait! Commander, Cortez survived the wreck with the Kodiak, but it's too damaged to fly." "I'll arrange transport for you." John said without missing a beat. "I'll be seeing you soon, Shepard out." And with that, he left Comm. Specialist Samantha Traynor to her task.

* * *

Shepard felt better with actual clothes; not so exposed, he even got to take off the bandages over his eyes due to a discovery made by the medics: Shepard's eyes were cybernetic. The implants were capable of incredible self-repair and adjustment. Miranda never did tell John just what "upgrades" he was given in order to bring him back, she would shrug and give him a vague rundown that was never actually clear, so he stopped bringing it up to avoid frustration.

When he took off he bandages the light was blinding for one moment, then his eyes made adjustments accommodate, the movements felt wrong inside his skull, like something was providing too much of a helping hand, he'd never been aware of it before but now it was quite noticeable. Though after a few minutes the sensations faded out; his mind blocking it off as it had done before.

He stood in front of the mirror, patting down his wardrobe for wrinkles; A standard, alliance issued, leather vest over a shirt with hard-weaved shoulder pads, his rank branded into them; black pants lined with utility buckles for compatibility with hardsuits and fully laced, buckled, all terrain, combat boots . The last thing that made it all feel worth it was his dog togs: Securely around his neck with pride.

His head was freshly buzzed, a stark contrast to his once shaggy hair, he had too to even out the hair that burned off on impact with the rubble in London.

"Hackett's voice came from behind him. "Shepard, we've sent a shuttle out, ETA back to hammer at twenty minutes. Do you want me to meet them at arrival?" Hackett asked. "Yeah, but can you send Tali'Zorah in first, alone please?" Hackett gave him a single nod and said "I'll work it out." Shepard stood alone with his thoughts and anxiety, waiting to see her again.

* * *

"The shuttle will be here in three, is every one ready?" Traynor asked the asked the ground crew as they waited for the shuttle to pick them up. "Yeah, a lot of my friends were in Hammer, is there a death count?" James asked with usual blank mask, determined not to show any emotion at the news. "We don't have any official numbers, but it isn't going to be low. I'm sorry." Traynor tried her best to give him a look of sympathy, but he wouldn't have it. His eyes looked like the may have glassed over, but she wasn't going to press it.

Meanwhile, in the back, wringing her hands was Tali: Holding on to that spark that had ignited since they received the hale from Earth. She knew it was impossible, she knew he was dead, but she couldn't help it. She loved him so much, she loved _love_ so much. Never in her lifetime did she ever think that one man could be so closely bound to her in every way possible. And he wasn't even Quarian!

She knew she would never find that love again, that feeling that sent chills up her spine and made her thoughts hazy. Never feel his fingers trace along her back as the lay together on an oversized bed. What surprised her was she missed the most were the little things.

His lips, so warm and loving towards her with his smiles, yet so cold in the middle of battle, pressed together in concentration. His brilliantly dark eyes that rested underneath a fringe of hair, but what she missed the most were his hands. They were so strong, so commanding and accurate with his weapons and equipment, but the moment thy touched her skin they were soft, caressing, and careful. She used to look at him and see perfection, but now she sees a ghost. How could she know who awaited her in the remainders of Hammer-base?

* * *

The shuttle touched down on the disheveled landing pad with a small thud and the sounds of the miniature drive core shutting down. As the door slid open the natural sunlight made many of the crew blink for a moment before letting their eyes adjust from the dark interior of the shuttle.

Hackett was there to greet them with a salute that was met by James, Ashley, and Garrus. Every member of the ground crew was used to Earth's appearance, even Javik was familiar with it having kept track of it during his cycle, but it was brand new to Tali.

She had seen pictures before, read editorials on the floating cities and the densely populated regions that made space colonization necessary, but she never thought that she would see it in shambles like this. The strewn out rubble and destroyed buildings reminded her of the battle-scarred lands of Tuchanka: something that was once beautiful and awe striking now reduced to piles of debris.

Hackett's hand patting Tali on her shoulder woke her from her amazement, "Tali? An Alliance officer would like to speak to you privately. He's waiting for you in the structure off to your right, the established med-center." Before she could ask questions or even object, he turned to the rest of he crew. "As for you guys, we're heading over to decorate you with some medals, Tali will be along shortly."

Her friends walked away with a few waves while she stood there confused, Hackett had lingered long enough for her to get out at least one question though. "Admiral, what does the officer want?" Hackett's years of dealing with bureaucrats and bullshit politicians had him prepared for the sudden question with an immediate response.

"I knew that you and Shepard were in a relationship of sorts, so I asked the man directing Shepard's upcoming honorary ceremony if he wanted some information from you. I hope you don't mind." She didn't, so she shook her head and said "Not at all." before heading towards the med bay she was pointed to.

What could she possibly know that the Alliance didn't, about the only information she could give them was to fill in some of the gaps the lingered while she accompanied him on his mission against the Collectors, but she paid no real attention to any task as she opened the door to the building.

"Officer? It's Tali'Zorah, I was told to come speak to you?" Her voice was loud as the words rebounded off of the stone structure. Her eyes scanned the room before resting on a soldier not in uniform. He had broad shoulders, sturdy and strong. The section of arms that showed were rippled with banded muscle, the aspect that caught her attention though were his hands. They were strong, but looked soft and inviting.

She looked up to meet his gaze, there was some burn scars along his left cheek that spanned down to his neck and below the shirt. His hair was buzzed short, to the scalp, and his eyes, dark brown. The smile that he wore struck her like lightning as the pieces fell together in her mind.

* * *

She stood there, almost ten feet from him, just looking at him for a moment, and then she took a few slow, tentative steps toward him, barley moving, and barley making a sound. Her three fingered, hand reached out to touch his face, still holding doubt. She didn't say a word until she grabbed one of his hands and closed it around hers. Her breaths came out ragged and distraught.

"Please, please tell me I'm not dreaming! I need you to tell me Shepard, is this real?" She cried. His strong arms wrapped around her as she cried. He pulled her as close he could before saying with, a voice as soft as thunder. "It's real, I'm here, and I'm never saying goodbye again." Her heart skipped a beat as she pulled herself into his chest and cried. "I love you Tali, and I'll never let you go."

* * *

_Okay, I'm not gonna make excuses here, I was being lazy and I rewrote this chapter WAY too many times. I promise though, you're not gonna have to wait as long for the next chapter because as you were reading this one I have ALREADY BEGUN writing the next. Which will be out BY THE LATEST of February 11__th__. PEACE OUT! _

_-ToNyEmBlEy_


	4. A Home Unknown

His eyes burst open in the darkness of his room, releasing him from his reoccurring nightmare. His frantic hands were desperately searching for the panel next to his nightstand, begging to be free of the soundless dark around him. He finds it with relief, watching as the crevices and walls light up around him, forcing the dream to be quelled within his sleepless mind.

He tried to gather some semblance of reality by looking around the room with its familiar furniture and contours, home. That's where he was, and he was not alone. Beside him on the bed was a warm body with lavender skin and dark, beautifully faint markings snaking around her, eyes fluttering lightly under the lull of sleep. Her thick dark curls sprawled along the pillow, slightly cascading over the edge of the bed; Tali'Zorah.

After what seemed like hours he finally calmed down, knowing the he was safe at home. Home felt strange for him even though it was just a small term of forced shore leave brought onto him by Admiral Hackett, Tali, and the rest of the Normandy's crew. He felt uneasy being so stationary, being unable travel, and not around his crew.

His feet touched the hardwood floors beneath him before carrying him over to the window, allowing him to look out upon the broad horizon. Rannoch always managed to surprise him with its beauty. Large expansive desserts that held beautiful structures of natural rock and stone, as well as massive bodies of aquamarine water that stretched on forever.

The sun had just started to crest over the far-off mountains that cut the continent in half. As the beams finally burst over the formations, they shone with a brilliant, orange glow. The light flooded over the darkened land with unimaginable speed. This sight became one of Shepard's favorite experiences as of late. The brightness finally overtook the humble house that rested on a small plateau in Zorah's Alley.

Zorah's Alley was a stretch of land that the conclave had allowed Tali to claim as her own, also to be viewed as a thank you for all of her assistance in defeating the reapers. It rested in-between two separate mountain ranges, forming a small canal (or alley), therefore named: Zorah's Alley.

A bit of shuffling brought on the call of a tired voice. "Shepard, you there?" Tali looked up from her pillow to see a large silhouette in front of the window, stopping the light from blinding her. She moved to lean on her elbow to take in the man that was standing a few feet from her.

He had large broad shoulders that rippled and flexed under his skin, round and hardened biceps, taught grooved stomach, years of training and a lifetime of combat had sculpted his body in peak physical condition, but you could see the wear and tear: the scars that littered his body.

They wrapped all around him, bullet wounds, shrapnel, blades, even teeth marks from varren and vorcha. The newest scars that he could boast where the burns from the citadel explosion. They started just above his collarbone and descended from there, wrapping around his ribs and lower back, ending just below his pelvis. Burns had also been on the side of his face, but those faded and could only be seen once up close to him.

He took pride in them, they were reminders and lessons, and they kept him on his toes and forced him to learn from the mistakes he'd made to earn them. Every scar was a medal to him, remnants of battles that he'd won, but others had lost.

Shepard stood there as still as stone before he broke the silence. "It was the same one, Tali. I'm standing there with the empty void of space around me, some kind of false prophet, god-child trying to convince me that the reapers are justified, and my fingers wrapped around a pistol. I step towards the red platform, pull the trigger…and it just ends, everything just ends and I wake up with more and more questions. I'm tired of being in the dark Tali."

Her slender fingers traced the slopes of his shoulders as she rested her head into his chest. "It'll come to you, Shepard. You'll figure it out like you always do, and then you'll probably be able to shoot it. Just like always." He finally cracked a smile as he took her into his arms, holding tightly and lifting her off of her feet. "Sounds good to me." He said before touching his lips to hers with a soft peck.

"Now how about we make breakfast?" Tali asked with a smile and an expectant look in her almost glowing eyes. "I'll make the coffee." Shepard said. Tali started to say something, but John cut her off by saying "Yes, I remember, dextro-amino" He said with a laugh as he started walking to the kitchen to make her a pot of dextro-amino coffee.

* * *

Steam from his coffee rolled past Shepard's nose, causing him to sigh with relief, it felt good for him to just relax and let some of his worries go. He didn't have to worry whether Tali was safe, if Garrus had gotten in trouble again, nothing. He had no duties or mission to complete, all he had to do was sit there, and spend time with Tali of course.

Tali, he loved her so much, he'd been too focused on Saren when they first met that he didn't pursue his interest in her, but after he had died, after he'd been launched into space as he watched his crew fall to safety in the escape pods, all he could think about was her. When he saw her again on Freedom's Progress, he had never felt more relieved. She had changed and he could see it, in the way she walked, the way she handled her squad, even to the way she spoke to him.

She had matured. She was no longer that shy and quiet girl that she had been on her pilgrimage. Now she was a grown woman, a leader, and a fighter, but when she saw Shepard, it all came rushing back. All the feelings and memories: the wonder of his heroism when he saved her from the assassins, the gratitude when he would come and talk to her for no reason, the loneliness when he went on a mission that required combat and not tech, and even the grief she had felt when Shepard wasn't in the headcount at the rendezvous beacon.

At his memorial she cried, she mourned for days before returning home to the Flotilla. Even after she had accepted it and mourned, she was never the same. She couldn't believe how things had turned out, that she was living with Shepard, or that she was in a relationship with him. The peace and easiness of life left her wary for disaster, but she did enjoy it; like she was enjoying it at that moment.

She sat there on their deck with her hand in his, enjoying the warmth from his skin on hers. It had been six months since she and Shepard had been reunited, but it had been three months since she was able to go places without her suit. The open air was strange at first, foreign and out of place, but she grew to love it. Light breezes rolling along her skin, tingling and caressing with soft, invisible fingers, giving her goosebumps.

She would have to wear the suit on other planets of course, at least for another few years, she'd been told, but only for the respirator. A suit puncture had virtually no risk anymore. If she were to be injured, it'd be just the same as any other alien getting injured; as in her immune system was up to par with all the other races. The only challenge quarians faced now were that their body could not yet handle any foreign particles or bacteria in their respiratory systems. In short: Quarians only required the suit for its respirator.

She looked over to him with wide eyes as she admired all that he had become. Every time she thought of all the things that this one man had done for the galaxy, it left her in awe. She was reminded of his accomplishments every day just by waking up in a _home_ on _Rannoch_ instead of a bunk on the Flotilla.

Her fingers traced little patterns in his palm as she thought about life and him. Everything was quiet as the horizon exploded over the valley before them. It shocked birds off of their perches and little indigenous animals from their homes in the soil. Coinins (comparable to a rabbit with boneplates) were running through the desert fields in search of a morning meal. The world stood before them, offering the brightness of a new day.

* * *

The orders were being sent, ships prepped…and weapons primed at all of the bases on Sur'Kesh and other salarian worlds. Dalatrass Linron stood over the World at War terminal within her military operations hub, looking at the heading above it.

CURRENT STATUS: AT PEACE

She knew that soon, right after she issued this order, right after her generals had given their commands, that the W.A.W. terminal would have a much different status.

General, Jorum Kai arrived at her side in full armor dressing, rifle at his back and a pistol at his belt. "Ma'am, I would like to request that my ship lead the assault, I have adequate experience and skill necessary to do so." The Dalatrass turned to him and offered a hesitant smile. "Yes, with you at the front you would be able to coordinate nicely, approved."

He bowed his head and left to prepare as swiftly as possible. Linron paced back and forth, trying to steady her breathing and think about all the political backfire she would have to handle and allied military that would need to be warned and stopped from interfering. As she thought, a red light started to ping her on her main holo-panel.

It was her private communications hub. She answered and saw that it was the Yahg ambassador. His gruff and growling voice rumbled from his chest. "Dalatrass, I assume that you have readied your fleets? We have already sent our soldiers to join your ranks, as agreed they shall meet you at the relay near your system."

"Yes they are fully prepared and awaiting your battalions, though my suspicions tell me that it is the Yahg who are not yet prepared."

Her words stung the ambassador as he grunted and growled his response. "You have spent countless resources to discreetly 'uplift' us into your ranks, yet now, on the precipice of war, do you doubt us? You know what we are capable of." The aggressive silence hung in the air like daggers. Neither of them broke eye contact as they started each other down.

It was the Dalatrass who finally conceded. "I apologize, Dohn, but I don't think that you've ever faced an enemy like the Krogan.

A.N. Okay okay I know, this definitely isn't Feb. 11th, but like with my other story I lost inspiration, so I replayed the whole series and got back into the swing, so expect more updates. And I hope you like the introduction of the main conflict in the story, it's gonna be a LONG ride. I hope you enjoy.


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